New FBI Missing Child App Could Be Crucial in Emergency

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The FBI has released a child safety app that could help prevent
every parent’s worst nightmare.

The FBI Child ID app, the first smartphone app released by the
agency, gives parents a place to electronically store photos,
including those of fingerprints, and other vital information
about their child to immediately show police officers if their
child were to ever go missing.

Since authorities need pictures and physical identifiers such as
height and weight as soon as possible to inform others and
distribute an AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency
Response) Alert, the app allows parents to quickly pull up data
about their kids in case of an emergency.

After downloading the app through the Apple App Store, a prompt
asks users to “Add a Child” and enter key information, including
their address and nicknames. The information is stored by the app
and can be emailed to authorities in just a few clicks.

The FBI Child ID app also features tips on keeping children safe and on what to do in
those crucial first few hours after a child goes missing.

While the FBI said it does not collect the data and photos stored
by the app, there are a few concerns about where the information
could end up. Early users of the the app have complained that
since it isn’t password-protected, a phone that ends up in wrong
hands could give unwanted users access to a child’s information.

In addition, the large “Call 911” featured under the app’s
Emergency tab could easily be pushed by kids playing with a
parent’s phone. But overall, the app is a strong step toward
simplifying the missing-child process with the help of technology
and could help save your child in case the ultimate nightmare
scenario does happen.